A New Beginning, and a Nagging Question.

In less than eighteen hours from this typing we will have a new President. The hopes of a nation are vested in this man. We face trying times and critical challenges, some of it thanks to his predecessor’s actions or inaction. Even the majority of Americans who didn’t vote for him hope for Obama’s success. To hope other wise would be insanity.

Obama’s installment as the most powerful man on the planet is a historic occasion, and spells a new beginning, certainly for people of color, but also hopefully for our government, our nation and the world at large.

But, at the dawn of a new day marked by the passing of the torch to Obama from the man who was arguably one of the worst Presidents this country has ever endured, one question keeps nagging at me about Bush’s presidency. It’s a question that will never be asked of him nor ever answered. Here it is:

“Mr. President, as an avowed Born Again Christian; believing as Saint Paul did that leaders are selected by God’s provenance; believing that His Will can be ascertained by prayer and reflection … do you believe that the positions you assumed and the actions you took were the result of divine guidance and thus the reason that you do not recognize nor regret your gross misjudgments, deceptions, incompetence, or inactions?”

“Is it because you fulfilled God’s Will that you bear no guilt nor feel called to apologize for the pain you have caused this country and so many millions of other people around the world?”

Of course even if the question were posed I wouldn’t expect an honest answer. To do so would likely confirm what I already believe: that a man of marginal intellect accepted the council, and made this country’s polices the hostage of, Neo-cons and right wing religious zealots all while believing it was with the blessing of some divine mythical dead Jew.

I hope this new beginning is so successful that this nation will never again be tempted to hand over leadership to the arrogance and infirmity of the worst kind of superstitiousness and self imposed ignorance. Once in a life time is enough.